American Himalayan Foundation

What We Do

Improving the fabric of life

Life is challenging for the Lobas who live on the high plateau of Upper Mustang. With repairs to the gompas underway and enrollment growing at monastic schools, our partners in Mustang turned to more worldly concerns in their communities.

Although there are government health workers in Mustang, those assigned to the posts often find it difficult to adapt to the harsh climate and are absent for much of the year. Through our Loba Health project, we support additional health workers who stay year round at seven clinics, and fund medicines and equipment. All so the villagers can get the treatment and care they need.

In 2006, the youth groups of Charang and Kimiling approached AHF for support to build water drainage systems in their villages. We agreed to fund them and they did the work, making life less dangerous and soggy for the villagers. Since then we have helped youth groups renovate community halls and construct bridges, aqueducts, irrigation and drainage systems. All of this improves the villages, increases crop yields, and has another important benefit: it gives the younger generation some employment and purpose, offering them an alternative to migration elsewhere.